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Continuing Education Sessions

As part of your conference registration options, you will be given the choice of one Continuing Education Session track to follow throughout the conference agenda.

As you review the options, you will see that each class is marked with a Level. The Levels are a tool to help you determine which classes will be most beneficial FOR YOU. These same Levels are also used to help you select Workshop Electives. You can find Course Level Definitions by clicking HERE, or you may also use the link provided in the navigation menu to the right.

After reading the Level Definitions, note the workshops and sessions you most want to attend and have it handy when you complete your registration. All classes are open to anyone; the Levels are merely to help you determine the type of instruction to expect.

IMPORTANT NOTE You are encouraged to study the sessions carefully before registering. In an effort to be as environmentally responsible as possible, handouts for sessions will not be available onsite. You’ll receive handouts for your sessions via email the week prior to conference. If you purchase the complete syllabus, that electronic syllabus will be included in your registration packet.

Book Titles and Covers:
Keeping it Consistent
Make the Reader Comfortable

Heroes and Heroines that Stand the Test of Time
Super Sleuth Extraordinaire
Heroine as BFF
A Hero to Die For
The Quirky, the Flawed and the Loveable

Sub-Characters:
Who Stays and Who Goes?
Formative characterization (Developing Over Time)
The Disappearing Act (Characters Who Shift in and Out)

Setting as Character
Rooting the Series in a Place the Reader Becomes Familiar With

Planting Seeds for Future Books
Little Teases Buried Within the Pages

Open-Ended Character Issues/Flaws

Traditionally Published Series
Time Frames/Release Dates
Launching the First Book
Marketing Strategies
Ongoing Launches/Getting Creative

Indie Series
Time Frames/Release Dates
Collaborative Efforts/Co-Authoring and Co-Releasing
Marketing the Indie Series:
Launching the First Book (Free? Perma-Free? Discounted?)
Launching Subsequent Books
Keeping the Focus on Book One (Ongoing Strategies)

The Next Book
Learn How to Tease Your Readers
Leave ‘em Begging for More
Consistent Hook (from book to book): Object, song or otherwise
Order Up! (Does Order Matter?)

The Accidental Series
Unplanned, but Effective

Pitfalls:
Timeline issues
Omissions
Oversights

Successful Series Stories

NOTE: We’ll use the hook of old TV series in the Power Point, along with
theme songs from shows like Dragnet, Bonanza, I Love Lucy, etc.

CE Session - CE 4: The Irresistible Novel

How to free yourself from the paralyzing “rules” of fiction and capitalize on the brain chemistry of reader engagement to create the irresistible novel.

Workshop Outline

Introduction
The Conflicting “Rules” of Fiction
* Where the rules come from
* What they’re good for
* How they paralyze
* How to take what will help you and get uncrippled by the rest
* Dealing with industry gatekeepers and “helpful” rules Nazis
The brain chemistry of reader engagement
* The work of Dr. Paul J. Zak, neuroscientist
* What the reader’s brain is looking for
* Catching the brain’s attention
* Transportation and vulnerability
* A neurotransmitter story map
* Maximizing brain chemistry in your fiction
Conclusion and Q&A

CE Session - CE 5: The Wildness of Writing with God

Title: The Wildness of Writing with GodLevel: All GradesPresented by: Allen ArnoldPrerequisites:Description

2) The Creative Motive (60 minutes)
a. What is God’s motive for giving us this gifting?
b. What is Your motive for accepting the gift?
c. What is the Enemy’s motive for thwarting the gift?
d. Hands on Exercise / Q&A

VI. Trick 4: Judge your books by their covers
A. Make the world think they’ve heard of you before
B. Rock the thumbnail
C. Study the competition

VII. Trick 5: Treat your Fans like Gold
A. How to handle reviews like a star
B. How to spend quality time with fans
C. What to give away to grow your mailing list

VIII. Trick 5: Divide and Conquer
A. How to make wise use of ebook platforms
B. How to maximize paperback opportunities
C. How to get the most out of audio books

IX. Things Change fast! This spot reserved for discussion of changes that
Amazon will have implemented in the next eight months or so and how
successful indies are taking advantage of them. Also, time for Q and A.

CE Session - CE 7: Stress-Free Marketing

Learn how to build your platform and promote your books without fear or freaking out.

Workshop Outline

In this course, Bethany House fiction publicist Amy Green and multi-published author Melissa Tagg set out to prove author marketing doesn’t have to be scary or panic attack-inducing…and that it can, in
fact, be fun. *gasp*

The first step in tackling “marketing meltdown?” Changing our perspective. Marketing is not just about selling books. It’s about building relationships…sharing our stories…and sharing our hearts. When we look at marketing through a new lens, it becomes as much of a ministry opportunity as our books!

We will will take a look at the top five reasons frazzled authors often fear or stress out about marketing:

• “There’s too much to do and I don’t know where to start!”
• “My publisher should be doing this stuff, not me.”
• “It takes too much time away from writing.”
• “It feels like I’m a salesperson and I’m annoying people.”
• “I’m afraid I’ll try something and fail.”

We will offer advice for combating each fear, as well as applicable and time-saving tips for making marketing doable and enjoyable. We’ll look at marketing as hospitality, talk about a publicist’s “dream author,” and spend time differentiating between marketing a book and marketing YOU, the author.

We’ll also talk about marketing like a writer. How can we take our writing expertise and turn it into marketing prowess? We will take common writing tips and phrases (know your characters’ motivation; build suspense; show, don’t tell; find your voice) and apply them to the marketing world.

The goal is for attendees to leave this class with not only a new perspective on marketing, but specific strategies to boost their marketing and platform-building efforts.

You must be at least 18 years old to attend conference without a parent/guardian present with you at all times.

Participation of an individual presenter, agent, editor, or publisher in the ACFW conference does not constitute endorsement by ACFW. Conference attendees are advised to use due diligence and take personal responsibility when choosing industry professionals with whom to schedule appointments or enter into agreement.

You must be at least 18 years old to attend conference without a parent/guardian present with you at all times.

Participation of an individual presenter, agent, editor, or publisher in the ACFW conference does not constitute endorsement by ACFW. Conference attendees are advised to use due diligence and take personal responsibility when choosing industry professionals with whom to schedule appointments or enter into agreement.